Welt-knitting machine.



r. B. WILDMAN & G- Lr-BALLARDQ v WELT KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 11133 25, 1911.

Patented'fDc. 17, 1912.

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m \n W 0 WW I e L. BaZZa /raQ I. B. WILDMAN '&4G.;.L. BALLARD,

' WELT KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION IILEI) APR.26, 1911-."

Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

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P, B. WILDMAN & G. L. BALLARD. WELT KNITTING MAOHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.,25, 1911.

, Patented Dec. 17, 1912. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3. 2.9-

' nventor Macaw I V Fmn]: 1i. WL'Zdman, 9;

. George L .BaaZZcw' 42% by pa m@mw fli@s.

s era" was FRANK B. WILDMAN AND GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD, OF NOBRISTOWN, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 WILDMAN MFG. 00., OF NORRISTOWN, BENNSYLVANIA.

WELT-KNITTING MACHINE.

1 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK B. lVILnMaN and GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD, a citizen of the United States and a subject of the'King of Great Britain, respectively, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVelt-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

For making tubular welts, 2'. 6., a welt composed of two distinct fabrics, an inner and an outer, a two feed machine is employed, the two'threads being fedat sub.- stantially opposite sides of the machine. On one side of thcmachine the inside welt fabric is knitted on the dial needles, while on the other side of the machine the outer welt fabric is knitted on the cylinder needles. The welt on the cylinder needles is formed in the ordinary way, the dial needles being retracted and holding thestitches while the cylinder needles at this.side of the machine continue to knit a plain fabric for the welt. On the other side of the machine from that just mentioned, at which the outer welt layer is being formed on the cylinder needles, the inner welt layer is formedby drawing the cylinder needles-down out of action by a special cam, thus allowing plain fabric, to

be knit on the dial needles for the inner'welt layer just mentioned. There are thus two plain fabrics being knitted one at each side of themachine; and these are joined into a tube when-rib knitting is resumed.-

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts for carrying out the purposes above mentioned hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

One embodiment of our invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a knitting head embodying our invention and in this figure the dial cams are shown in dotted lines; Fig. 1 is a fragmentary detail of post 6 showing the notch 46 therein; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the dial cap showing the cams; Fig. 3 is a view of the cylinder cams, in the nature of a diagram; Fig. 4 is a side view of a part of the cylinder showing the means for operating the special cam for throwing the cylinder needles out of operation to permit Specification of Letters fatent. Patgnfi gd Deg, 1'? 119112,

Application filed April 25, 1911. Serial No. 623,261. i

the welt to be formed on the dial needles on this side of the machine while the welt on the other side is being formed on the cylinder needles; Fig. 5 is a side view of part of the cylinder with the mechanism for cont-rolling the making of the clearing course and part of the means for controlling the making of the slack course; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the dial; Figs. 7 and 8 represent conventional face and sectional views of the fabric,

Referring first to Fig. 3, the cam ring rotates in the direction of the arrow A and consequently the needles, in effect, are passed through the cam path in the direction of the arrow B. 1 is the first advancing cam, 2 the first stitch cam, 3 and 4 the members of the clearing course cam, 5 a cam to lift the cyl inder needles after the stitches have been dropped therefrom at the clearing cam so that said needles will enter a brush a, Figs. 3'

and 4, and have their latches opened to receive thread whe-nthey arrive at the next feed. 6, 6 1s a spec1al cam composed of upper and lower members screwed to the part 7 and adjustable vertically, as will be hereinafter described. This cam, while the machine is knitting regular rib, answers as the advancing cam for the second feed, and

' following this is the second stitch cam 8, 2'.- c.,

for the feed onthe opposite side of the ma chine from the first stitch cam. The men1 bers of this cam 6, 6f, are also connected by a link 9 to hold the member 6 against tipping; The first stitch cam 2 is adjustable automatically, being mounted on the usual post, said cam being operated for producing the loose course and slack course by means hereinafter described.

Dial cams.These cams comprise the two stitch cams 10 and 11 at diametrically opposite points, "one for each feed, and'for conveniencethese will be referred to as the first and second stitch cams, they being located respectively in the usual relation to the first outwardly in respect to the center of the dial. This wing cam acts to advance the dial needles for taking thread, that is when p it is out in the position shown in Fig. 1,

but when it is swung inwardly, then the dialv and outer welts to form the-tubular welts are pro? ,iced as follows Following the loose course the wing cam 12 of the dial is thrown into welt position to simply hold the loops sult that at this feed, i. 6., at the first stitch cam, a series of one course welts will be formed on the cylinder needles. While this is taking place at the first feed, at the second feed on the opposite side ofthemachine regular rib is being produced, its courses alternating with the welt course form ed on the cylinder needles atthe first feed.

When a sufficientnumber of welt courses have been knit to prevent raveling back, the clearing course is then made, and this is done by raising the clearing course cam 3 to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3,

to get the loops back of the latches to be thrown ofl" when the needle retracts.

Immediately following the point where the cylinder needles knit off for making the clearing course, there is the brush of bristles a supported on the dial cap, Fig. 4, for opening the latches of the cylinder needles so that they will be open to receive the thread when they arrive at the next feed, 2'. 6., the second feed. .Immediately following the clearing action, the cylinder needles are empty until they arrive at the next feed, 2'. 6., the cam 6, 6, where they advance and receive yarn which is to form the foundation of the tubular welt. No stitches are formed at this time,

however, on the cylinder needles at this second feed, though they are 'on the dial needles, because there are no old loops on the cylinder needles, but the cylinder needles simply receive the threadand this goes on until all the cylinder needles that have been cleared take on the thread, and when this is done, the cam 6, 6 immediately drops out of action, so that no loops will be formed at this feed on the cylinder needles. The knitting of the plain fabric for one wall of the welt on the cylinder needles begins, however, when the first feed comes around, and

the dial needles at the second dial feed begin to knit the other wall of the welt when the cylinder needles are thrown out at the second feed as just described. In other words, the taking on of the thread by the cylinder needles following the clearing course resumes plain knitting on the cylinder needles for one wall of the welt when the first stitch cam comes around owing to the wing cam remaining in welt position, and the dial knitting plain fabric for the inner wall of the. welt begins at the s'econd feed when the cylinder needles are thrown out of operation;

in throwing the cylinder needles out of operation as just described, the special cam 6, 6 is first moved down from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, 2'. 6., to the point where the cylinder needles would be tucking, and on the j continuation of the revolution (for about an I inch) the cam is dropped all the way down without forming new stitches, with the reout of action, and clear of'the path of the dial needles, and the welt-formation now begins; on the dial needles at this second feed and on the cylinder needles when the first feed comes around. The interval between the two downward movements of the cam 6, 6, is to insure that the needles that v have been cleared will pass the second feed before the cam drops all the way.

The means for operating the wing cam of the dial consists of a link 15, dotted lines, Fig. 1, connected with a pin extending through the dial cap from the wing cam, this said link, at its other end, being connected with the segment 16 adjustably. This segment is on a rock shaft 17 having a toothed segment thereon such as is common in this type of machine, the whole being mounted in the cylinder cam ring. "This rock shaft has an arm 19 thereon tobe struck by one of the disks or rollers C or D mounted on vertical spindles vertically movable in the base of the machine, as is also common in machines of the Wildman type, as in Letters Patent of the United States No. 613,346, November 1, 1898, so that the arm will, at times, strike the disk and be operated thereby, the said disk being controlled by pattern mechanism, not shown. \Vhen the arm strikes the disk, the wing cam will be shifted inwardly for forming the means for controlling the position of the second advancing cam- 6, 6.

The clearing course cam is operated by a pair of arms 22, 23, the former for lifting the cam and the latter for lowering it, these arms being on rock shafts geared together as abovedescribed, said. arms being operated by the pattern disk. A cam disk 21 is arranged on the shaft 23 of the arm 28 and when the arm 22 is operated, this cam operates under a pin or roller 25 of the post 3* of the clearing course cam 3 to lift it, and

then when the arm 23 is operated by the disk the cam disk will be turned to allow the clearing cam to assume its low position. The shaft 23 is hollow,,F1g. 5, for the purpose of receiving a shaft 26which carnotch at 3st with the shaft 35 mounted in the cam ring and geared to another shaft 38 having the two arms 36 and 37 thereon, the one being for the loose course and the other for the slack, a return arm 39 being mounted on the shaft 35. By this arrangement the controlling mechanism for the stitch cam for making the slack fabric and loose course may be located at a convenient point distant from the shaft 26 and arm 27.

Operating mechanism for the shiftablc advancing cam.This cam 6, 6 is raised and held in its upper position shown in Fig. 3 by a circularor disk cam-410, Figs. 1 and 4, the flange or cam surface of which rides under a pin -11 on' the post 6 of the said cam 6, 6. Now, when the pattern roller D is struck by the arm 12 on the shaft 43 carrying the disk cam 10, the said cam will be turned to remove its high part from under the pin 41, allowingthis cam to drop until the cam post.

the arm 44: of a spring latch 44: pivotally mounted to turn about the shaft 13 and pressed by a spring 15 engages a notch 46 in This will arrest and set the cam 6, 6, in its intermediate position or partway down until the armofthe latch at 4:7 strikes the pattern roller, which takes place on the same revolution that the arm 42 strikes said roller, when the latch will be withdrawn from the post, and this will drop all the Way down to set the cam 6, 6" in its lowermost position so that at this side of the machine the cylinder needles will be out of operation for forming the welt on the dial needles.

hen regular rib knitting is to be resumed, the return arm 4C8 will operate through its shaft 18 and gear segments 49, 50, Figs 1 and &,-to turn the cam disk or plate 40, and thus elevate the cam, where it will be held by said cam for regular rib knitting. The notch 46 in the post 6 has a beveled lower side so that although the latch will snap into this notch, the post with the cam can continue their movement upward to their limit. 1

Reverting to the relative arrangement of the two pattern controlled rollers or disks C and D, these are arranged at separated points, the purpose being to separate the function of returning the wing cam 12 and the cylinder advancing cam 6,6 to position for knitting regular rib, the wing cam be ing operated by the disk or roller C and the cam 6, 6, by the disk D. This prevents the changes in the knitting taking place at the same point in the fabrlc which would result in forming an imperfection or lump at this point. r I

Referring -to the step by step downward movement of the cylinder advancing c am 6, 6, by dropping the cam half way down and adjusting the pattern roll to miss the trigger, a cylinder tuck can be made. Themachine is thus adapted, by using this cam,

for forming the welt on the dial needles as abovedescribed, 2'. 6., by dropping said cam all the way down or by dropping halfway down we get the cylin er tuck. When the step by step cam 6, 6 is adjusted all the way down, the'welt, at this point, is formed entirely upon the dial needles, the cylinder needles holding out. I

Immediately following the first stitch cam ofthe dial, we employ a dial cam 51 concentric with the center of a dial cap, the purpose of which is: It covers the point where the cylinder clearing course cam-is raised and thus makes the dial needles act as a Web holder, while the clearing course cam is in action. It further insures the dial latches being thrown back in a restingposition while the bristle brush mentioned is-opening the cylinder latches. When the clearing course cam is acting, it tends to push up the cylinder welt into the path ofthe dial n'eedles, but with the concentric cam mentioned this effect is avoided.

We have also provided an improved form of dial foruse in a machine of the type described above for forming welts, this being shown in Fig. 6 and consisting in beveling'the knocking over bits 52 at their lower corners, as shown at '53.

When knitting regular rib, the stitches draw over the bevel at the bottom ,of the sinker. lVhen knitting a dial welt, the thread climbs up and runs over the front of the sinker or knock over bit, which provides for drawing a longer stitch for the welt without any adjustment or movement of the stitch cams,

hen the welt is to be formed, the cam 6, 6, is dropped all the way down as above described, and in order to draw a longer stitch by the dial needles supplementing the efiect of the dial construction as above described, we employed a lever 11 for operating the stitch cam 11, this lever having one arm 11 to be operated by a screw 11 on the post 43 when this is turned to drop the post 6 of the cam 6, 6'; thus at the same it only res time the cylinder needles are thrown out of operation the dial cam is adjusted to draw a longer stitch for the welt.

the case without this drop in the cam groove.

In other 'words, a partof the downward movement of the needles is due to the drop 7 in the cam at 6 while the rest of the downward movement of the needles is due to. the downward movement of the cam. By the use of this drop in t-hecam 6 6 and its" relation to the stitch, cam 8, needles having the regular length of butts and a regular length of. cylinder may be used. The drop at 6 when the cam is at its lowest position carries the needles below the line of the dial needles. It will be noticed that this drop in the cam has a straight portion whichcauses the needles to run in a straight line for a short distance to correspond with the position of the holes in the carrierfor guiding the yarn. We claim as our invention 1. In combination in a rib knitting machine, a cylinder" and dial, needles therefor, dial cams including a pair of substantially oppositely arranged stitch cams, advancing cams one ofwhich is in the form of an adjustable wing cam to permit holding the dial needles retracted for the formation of plain fabric for a welt on the cylinder needles at one side of the machine, and

cylinder cams including a pair of oppositely v arranged stitch cams, an advancing cam for one stitch cam and a two-part adjustable switch cam answering as the advancing cam for the other stitch'cam, means for adjusting said cam down out of operation for the formation of plain fabric for a welt on the,

dial needles, and a cylinder clearlng course cam between the first stitch cam of the cylinder and the adjustable advancing cam.

2. In combination in a rib knitting machine, a cylinder and dial, needles therefor, dial cams including a pair of substantially oppositely arranged stitch cams, advancing cams one of which is in the form of an adjustable wing cam to permit holding the dial needles retracted for the formation of plain fabric for a welt on the cylinder needles at one side of the machine, and cylinder cams including a pair of oppositely arranged stitch cams, an advancing cam for one stitch cam and a two-part adjustable switch cain answering as the advancing cam for the other stitch cam, means for adjust: ing said. cam down out of operationfor the formationof plain fabric for a welt on the dial needles, a cylinder clearing course cam between the first stitch cam of the cylinder twee and the adjustable advancing cam, a liftempty cylinder needles when raised bythe.

lifting cam, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a rib knitting ma,-v chine, a dial, a cylinder, needles'therefor, dial camsincluding two stitch cams and two advancing cams one of which is adjustable to hold the loops for format-ion of the welt on the cylinder needles, cylinder cams including two stitch cams and two advanc ing cams one of which latter is vertically adjustable step by step to switch the cylinder needles outof operation, a clearing course cam in advance of the said switching cam and means for adjusting the switching cam downwardly step by step on the same revolution of the machine following the taking on of the thread at said cam. j

4.. In a knitting machine for making a double or tubular welt, a cylinder, a' dial, needles, dial cams one of which is adjustable for holding the needles retracted for the formation of the welt on thecylinderneedles, cylinder cams including a step by step adjustable switch cam to advance the needles or to hold them inoperative, and operating means for the said switch cam comprising a rotary cam for supporting the post of the switch cam and a latch for engaging anotch in said post, and means for turning the rotary cam and for operating the latch to give the step by step downward movement to the switch cam, substantially as described. 1

5. In combination in a two-feed knitting machine, a cylinder, a dial, needles, a'pair of stitch cams for the dial, a pair of ad vancing cams including a movable wing cam forholding the needles retracted for making fabric for a welt on the cylinder 1 needles, cams for the cylinder needles including a pair of stitch cams and advancing cams one of which latter is ad ustable to switch the needles to inoperative position,-

connections for adjusting the dial wing cam, connections for adjusting the cylinder switch cam, and disks C and D disposed at separated points about the machine for operating the said connections in succession to prevent the changes in the knit-ting taking place at the same point in the fabric.

6.-In combination in a circular knitting machine, a cylinder and dial, needles and cams, and means for adjusting the cylinder cams for the formation of a dial welt, said dial having the ends of its sinker walls inclining outwardly to a point above the bottom of the groove said ends extending substantially vertically. from the upper end of the incline,-substantiallyas described.

7. In combination in a knitting machine, a stitch cam, a clearing course cam, a hollow shaft mounted in the frame of the machine,

- cylinder needles out of operation,

a rotary cam thereon for operating the clearing course cam. arms for operating the rotary cam, a shaft extending down through saidhollow shaft. a ring encircling the machine and connected with said inner shaft to turn the same, a shaft at another point in the circuit of the machine from the shafts first mentioned, and connected with the ring to operate the same, arms foroperating the said shaft, and

cam from the said inner shaft, substantially described.

8. In coml chine, a dial, a cylinder, needles, dial cams including two stitch cams andtwo advancing cams one of which is adjustable to hold the dial needles retracted for the formation of the welt on the cylinder needles, cylinder cams including two stitchcams and two advancing cams one of which latter is vertically adjustable step by step to switch the means for adjusting the said'cam, and a clearing course cam in the cylinder, substantially as described.

9. In combination in a rib knitting machine, a, dial, a cylinder,needles, dial cams including two stitch cams and two advancing cams one of which is adjustable to hold the dial needles retracted for the formation of the welt on the cylinder needles, cylinder cams including two stitch cams and two advancingcams one of which latter is vertically adjustable step by step to switch the cylinder needles out of operation, and means for adjusting the said cam, said adjustable cam having a drop in its groove, substantially as described.

10. In combination in a rib knitting machine, -a cylinder, adial, a pair of stitch cams and a pair of advancing cams for each of the cylinder and dial, means for throw ing' one of the advancing cams of the cylinder out of operation for the formation of the welt on the dial needles, and connections between said opera-ting means and one of the stitch cams of the.dial for adjusting the same to draw longer stitches for the dial welt, substantially as described.

11. In combination in a rib knitting machine, a cylinder, a dial, a pair of'stitch cams for the cylinder, a pair of stitch cams means to adjust the stitchnation in a rib knitting ma-' for the dial, a pair of advancing cams for each of the cylinder and dial, means for throwing one of the advancing cams of the cylinder out of operation for the formation of the welt on the dial needles, and means for simultaneously operatii'ig the active stitch cam of the dial to draw longer stitches for the dial welt, substantially as described.

12. In a knitting machine for making a double or tubular welt, a cylinder, a dial, needles, dial cams one of which is adjustable for holding the needles retracted for the formation of the welt on the cylinder needles, cylinder cams including an adjustable switch cam to advance the needles or to hold them inoperative for the formation of fabric for the welt on the dial needles, operating means for the said switch cam comprising a rotary cam for supporting the post of the switch cam, means for turning the rotary cam, and a connection extending to the active stitch cam of the dial and operated when the said cam is rotated to adjust the stitch cam for drawing longer stitches when the cylinder switch cam is thrown into inoperativeposition by the movement of the said rotary cam, substantially as described.

13. In a rib knitting machine, the combination of a stitch cam and a groovedcam,

with means for adjusting the grooved cam for three positions for knitting, tucking or welting, said cam having a point to elevate the needles followed by a drop in its groove adjacent the stitch cam, substantially as described.

14. In combination in a rib knitting machine, an advancing cam adjustable step by step to inoperative position, means for giving the cam its first step adjustment includ-.

inga latch for holding the cam in its intermediate position, and means for operating the latch for the further movement of the cam to inoperative position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we affix our signa- ,tures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK Br WILDMAN. GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD.

Witnesses:

I. F. TEANY, c OWEN BALLARD. 

